History of the Farne Islands’ buildings

Written by

Nick LewisCollections & House Officer, National Trust

Expert curated

Stained glass window in St Cuthbert's Chapel on Inner Farne. — Stained glass window in St Cuthbert's Chapel. | © National Trust Images / Rebecca Hughes

Discover the stories of the buildings on the Farne Islands. As the former site of a monastery complex for spiritual reflection, a defensive military outpost and several lighthouses, the Farne Islands’ position in the North Sea has made them the ideal location for a variety of structures over the centuries.

The Chapel of St Cuthbert

The chapel on Inner Farne was once part of a monastic complex which included eight other buildings. These included a hall (now the visitor centre opposite the chapel) along with service buildings like a kitchen, brewhouse, and a bakehouse, as well as a dormitory. It is not clear where these would have been, although we think there could have been a range of buildings connecting the chapel to the hall near where the font now stands.

Humble beginnings

The first structures built by the monks Aidan and Cuthbert on Inner Farne are no longer visible. But in his book Life of St Cuthbert, medieval scholar and monk the Venerable Bede gives us some clues about these early buildings. Cuthbert's cell, first built by Aidan, was made of stone and turf and was – according to Bede – 'higher than a man'.

Another larger structure, a guest house or 'hospitum', probably stood where the Fishe House is sited today.

Building anew

For centuries hermits following in Cuthbert’s footsteps, such as St Bartholemew who lived on the island for the final 42 years of his live in the 12^th century. Thomas de Melsonby, the former prior of Durham, was the last hermit on Inner Farne and died on the island in 1246. In 1255 the priory of Durham founded a new monastery on the island comprising two monks and some servants. This was to be called the House of Farne of the Benedictine Order.

Documents show that work began in 1369 to build a new chapel on the site of a previous building, at a cost of £50. Slightly older stone in parts of the north wall suggests that at least some of the older building was incorporated into the new structure.

The monks of the House of Farne were wealthy enough to build such structures – they cultivated crops and kept livestock on some of the other islands. The holy community continued to use the chapel until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century.

Seeing the past

The chapel was significantly renovated in the 19th century, but we can still see reminders of earlier times.

At the chapel’s west end there are the likely remains of a bell tower and the original entrance into courtyard.

The chapel also holds several medieval grave slabs which the National Trust brought in from the courtyard in 1929. Outside there’s a stone coffin which could have belonged to Thomas Sparowe, master of the House of Farne, who died in 1430.

Victorian updates

Some of the changes made during the 19th century include the installation of the east window in 1844. This was made in Gateshead by the artist and glazier William Wailes. It was restored in 1997 by local stained-glass specialist Chris Chesney of Iona Art Glass.

Although the interior wood panelling and decoration dates back further – it was designed for Bishop Cosin at Durham Cathedral in 1665 – it was brought to the Farnes in 1848. Other items such as the altar table and pews came to the chapel later from local sources.

Pele Tower on the Farne Islands, Northumberland — Pele Tower on the Farne Islands | © National Trust Images/Suzanne Ingham

Recent restoration

The latest restoration project involved installing a new cross of St Cuthbert on the eastern gable. Added in 2016, it replaced a Victorian-era cross which had been badly eroded by the weather. The new cross was carved by Hexham-based stone mason David Edwick, who used photographs to copy the old design.

In 2025 the stained-glass window was removed and cleaned by Iona Art Glass, almost 30 years after they last attended to the window. This also gave stone masons the opportunity to carry out repairs to the window stonework while the glass was in the visitor centre being cleaned.

Prior Castell's Tower

The most imposing building on the Farne Islands is Prior Castell's Tower, named after the Durham churchman who commissioned its construction. Like all pele towers, it was originally used to deter and defend. However, as time passed its use changed.

Thomas Castell was Prior of Durham Cathedral from 1494 to 1519 and the tower on Inner Farne was first built near the beginning of his tenure. Castell used the tower as a high-status residence while he was visiting the island, but like other border towers it offered protection for the monks during times of trouble.

From military post to lighthouse

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, the tower became home to a small garrison of four men. It underwent repairs in 1566, but by 1637 the tower was in ruins and of no military use.

The tower was briefly reoccupied in 1643 during the Civil Wars, following the Parliamentarian capture of Berwick and Holy Island. The leader of the occupying garrison was one Mongo Moodie, who shot and killed two Royalist soldiers near the beach on Inner Farne who he believed were stealing supplies from his stores. Moodie was court-martialled after the war but there is no record of the verdict.

Its location, however, made it the ideal foundation for a beacon light. It was used this way until it was superseded in 1809 by the white round-tower lighthouse that you can see today on Inner Farne.

A place to call home

The islands had passed into the ownership of the Dean and Chapter of Durham at the time of the dissolution and they would lease them to suitable tenants.

As a tenant in the 1840s, Archdeacon Charles Thorp undertook a major restoration of the tower. It continued to be used intermittently until the National Trust acquired the Farne Islands in 1925.

Today the tower is used by National Trust rangers who stay in the building during breeding season.

A sunset view of Longstone Lighthouse across a rocky area with pools of water on the Farne Islands, Northumberland — Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands at sunset | © National Trust Images/Joe Cornish

The lighthouses on the Farne Islands

The Farne Islands extend for nearly five miles out into the North Sea and have always been a danger to ships. For this reason, many lighthouses have been built on the islands over the years and two are still in use today.

The first beacons

In 1669 Sir John Clayton and George Blake were given permission to erect four lighthouses along the East Coast, including on the Farne Islands. While a beacon might have been placed on top of Prior Castell’s Tower, there’s no evidence that a separate building was constructed at this time.

Purpose-built lighthouses

Over 100 years later in July 1776, the lessee of the Farnes, Captain John Blackett, was given permission to build two lighthouses at his own expense. Blackett put a couple of fire baskets on the top of the tower on Inner Farne and built a new lighthouse on Staple. Unfortunately, this lighthouse was destroyed in the Great Storm of 1784.

By 1795 a new beacon tower had been built on Brownsman. Both this and the fire baskets on Inner Farne remained in use until 1810 and 1809 respectively, when Trinity House – a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers – erected two new lighthouses. One was built in 1809 on Inner Farne (the High Light) and another was built on Brownsman in 1810.

A new design

Designed by Daniel Alexander, the lighthouses each had a revolving reflector that burned paraffin oil. In 1811 a further lighthouse called the Low Light was built on Inner Farne to warn of the island of Megstone.

The High Light is still in use and is a familiar landmark to all visitors today. The Low Light was pulled down in 1911 after the High Light was automated.

The Longstone lighthouse

The Brownsman light didn’t stop the numerous wrecks to the north of this island, so in 1825 Trinity House scrapped it and built a new one on Longstone. Now automated and controlled from Harwich, this lighthouse continues to flash every 20 seconds to this day.